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108 reviews for:
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1: The Absolute Edition
Alan Moore, Kevin O'Neill
3.67 AVERAGE
108 reviews for:
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1: The Absolute Edition
Alan Moore, Kevin O'Neill
3.67 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Cool concept, awful execution.
This was painful to get through for so many reasons. Two very boring stories littered with racist / sexist language throughout for no reason, ridiculous stereotypes as the villans, and graphic SA I now have to try and delete from my brain!
Vol 2 was just ripped off war of the worlds. What a waste if time.
10/10 would not recommend.
This was painful to get through for so many reasons. Two very boring stories littered with racist / sexist language throughout for no reason, ridiculous stereotypes as the villans, and graphic SA I now have to try and delete from my brain!
Vol 2 was just ripped off war of the worlds. What a waste if time.
10/10 would not recommend.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, LEG from here on out, is such an interesting comic. I loved it through and through, but I can see how someone could see all the hype and not get it. When I was younger, there was a series of easy reader illustrated classics that I absolutely devoured. Dracula, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, Moby Dick, and The Time Machine were all books in that series and all of which I loved. As I grew up, I then read the full versions of these novels. Since LEG uses all these books in varying degrees it’s no wonder I was fully engaged with this entire volume.
However, if someone doesn’t have an affinity for the classics referenced in this omnibus, I can fully see how this lands with a resounding dud. This series is a love letter to the classics that laid the foundation for today’s science fiction and horror. Unless you are one of the parties either receiving or writing a love letter, reading it without that relationship context can be interesting, but it will never have the intended response.
This omnibus contains the first and second volumes of LEG, as well as some extras that were included in the original comic books, Allen and the Sundered Veil and the New Traveller’s Almanac. Each will have a mini-review in turn before my final thoughts.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume I
Obviously, I was sold on the entire concept before I started reading. However, there are some character issues that stand out. First is Allen Quartermaine. He has a severe opium addiction and kicks it within two issues. There is an almost relapse, but the laudanum he purchases is a plot point in ingratiating another member of the League. The later issues really put the plot ahead of character development, so if that’s what you are here for, you will be disappointed.
The biggest question mark of a character is the Invisible Man. He is wretched. An absolute bastard of a man. He’s a rapist. His actions can be framed in any way the writer wants, but in the end, he’s still a bad dude, and I wish any other way was chosen to bring him into the story. He seeks no repentance; he does not become better. He is vain and arrogant and terrible. He could have been all of those, without being a rapist on top of it. If you really squint, you can find the slimmest pseudo-commentary that a government in peril will turn to even the worst if they can help save the nation… but you really really have to squint to see it.
The remaining characters are all fine. Captain Nemo is a personal favorite, and his backstory may come as shock if you are only familiar with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea but falls in line with what we learn about the character from the sequel, The Mysterious Island. Jekyll and Hyde is the Hulk, and that too is fine. Mina Harker, or by her maiden name, Mina Murry, is the character in charge of rounding up these deplorables for a mysterious benefactor. She’s a strong woman but falls into the tired trope of having to dress like a prostitute to lure out a villain. Other than that incident she has good chemistry with the other characters. In fact, the dialog between all the characters is well done.
The plot is relatively bare-bones. Assemble team, complete mission, reversal of fortune, work together to beat the heretofore unrevealed villain. The plot is straightforward, the character development is minimal, but the interactions between characters are very enjoyable.
Looking at the art of the volume, the first two issues felt very muddy to me. Very dim and not very detailed. I’m not sure why, I read the entire first volume in the same lighting. The rest of the volume was vibrant and well done. There are some fun action scenes and some gruesome moments that pop off the page. The depiction of women has been criticized, but the style is consistent across the board (Rosa Coote being the minor exception with her exaggerated assets, but it is an understandable allusion to the origins of her namesake), and as long as it is consistent I generally give it a pass, as long as it is not offensive.
Overall, I really enjoyed the first LEG. The impetus of the Invisible Man joining the team bugs me, as it should bug everybody and I would understand if you stopped there. Similarly, if you have no connection to any of the main characters, I can understand how this is a thin story. But I am unabashed in my love for the characters (Invisible Man from the original story, not this interpretation) and was able to look past the thinness of the plot. This individually is a 4/5.
Allen and the Sundered Veil
In the original run of comics, the end of each chapter of the first volume had two or three pages detailing a serial adventure of Allen Quartermain. This is a welcome addition to the omnibus and serves as a great pallet cleanser between Volume I and Volume II.
Due to his love of drugs, Quartermain finds himself in a situation where he takes a super special mind-bending deep sleep-inducing drug, and he finds his consciousness lost in time and space. On this dream-quest, he encounters John Carter (who would later be of Mars), a character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Randolph Carter, the wayward dream created by HP Lovecraft who frequently appeared in his Dream Cycle, and the Time Traveler, the unnamed protagonist of HG Well’s The Time Machine.
This team is the stuff of my dreams. While I’m not familiar with Burrough’s fiction, the inclusion of Randolph Carter (strange retconning of his relationship to John Carter aside) had me incredibly hyped, and I was instantly hooked.
As I mentioned before, this is written in the style of a serial, and it is as pulpy as possible. Again, little character development and the story hinges on your love of the already established characters, but I loved it. The plot is straightforward and fantastical, and the first issue is a bit too heavy on the establishing details, but otherwise, this is a pleasure to read as an interstitial. 5/5
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume II
LEG Volume II kicks off pretty much right after Volume I. Actually, there are a few references to Mars in the first Volume that set up the events of Volume II, as well as some foreshadowing from Allen and the Sundered Veil. It’s a great setup, adding the War of the Worlds to the universe as the primary driving force of this Volume.
I was left feeling a bit cold at the introduction of John Carter (the same John Carter who appeared in Allen and the Sundered Veil) and was hoping he would somehow contribute to the League. He didn’t. While it was a fun addition, the majority of the other figures in the first Volume actually did something to affect the plot (the sole exception that comes to mind being Ishmael).
Thinking back over this second Volume, it leaves me disappointed. The majority of the first issue occurs on Mars and then doesn’t return. While it serves as a prologue, it’s also 1/6th of the total volume, and at least half of that first issue could have been spent with the League adding some character development. The ending events come so quickly that an entire invasion (that only affects England?) is over with a few special rounds or artillery and a causal hand-waved explanation (that literally has a character waving his hand). The best addition to this truncated narrative is Dr. Moreau, who is incredibly creepy, and his contribution to the plot makes total sense.
As far as the characters go, Allen and Mina have an arc that comes out of nowhere. Sure it was mentioned as a possibility in the first Volume, but it just doesn’t feel organic. And the resolution is just as fast, and just as worthy of a head scratch. Captain Nemo begrudgingly continues to work with the British government he so hates, until they go too far and he leaves. The Invisible Man continues to be an unrepentant monster, and his actions in the first volume are neither mentioned nor acknowledged.
And Hyde. We won’t even talk about Jekyll. He was in the Volume for about five panels it seems and then Hyde was running the show. Hyde had some of the laziest writing surrounding him. He’s a monster, yeah. We get it. That’s covered in depth. He wants to fight Martians. We get it. The narrative goes into some King Kong “‘‘twas beauty killed the beast” theme with the almost friendship between him and Mina. Then we get the rape of the Invisible Man. We’ve entered the territory of punishing a rapist with rape and it’s so lazy and appealing in execution. I realize this is a spoiler, but consider it a content warning as well. Hyde rapes the Invisible Man (the murder, totally justified, and the reveal, while not making a lot of sense, was still really cool). But twice now in two Volumes rape serves as the fulcrum for the plot to advance and its unnecessary and poorly done.
The art is consistently good throughout. While at first, it seemed out of place, the art surrounding the scenes with Dr. Moreau is disconcerting and done extremely well. The scenes on Mars are fun and really capture an alien vibe. As for the characters, there was some inconsistency with Nemo’s physique that caught my attention. Mina, who had always been very thin, is now closer to normal proportions. Besides some questionable story choices that the art had to show, the art by itself is well done throughout the Volume.
Fundamentally, this seems rushed due to an entire issue being on Mars. The second rape in two overall volumes shows a lack of creativity and is just tone-deaf in execution, which is disappointing because the setting and theme are so good on paper. This would have been elevated with common sense to keep turning back to rape as a plot device, and with probably two more issues to really dive into some of the topics presented. 3/5
The New Traveller’s Almanac
In the same manner that Allen and the Sundered Veil progressed with each issue of the first volume, and Almanac is presented with each issue of the second Volume to really flesh out the world and history of the LEG. It’s fun all around but hardly necessary. I wish I had more to say, I applaud its inclusion, but it came at a point in the universe that I was really debating on if I wanted to invest more of my time in it. This portion is a 4/5.
Overall Thoughts
First and foremost, this Omnibus suffered from poor production. The margins were absolutely terrible. There was a significant amount of white space around all the pages, except going into the spin. If any important art or dialog was toward the spin of the book it was nearly impossible to read unless you wanted to destroy the spin and had perfect lighting. I have dozens of trade paperbacks that do not have this issue. Margins are a known variable. It’s inexcusable to not account for this.
Secondly, the concept is so great. The mere idea to throw all these figures and storylines together is so good. Alan Moore is not the man to execute, however. Rape and sexual assault should be explored in all mediums, but it should be done so with care. Alan Moore resoundingly failed in this and it is so glaring it overshadows much of the greatness of this concept.
I love the pulp. I love overall stories. I love the extra featurettes in the Almanac and Allen and the Sundered Veil, but all of that good does not negate the lazy sexual assault and the rushed narrative of the second Volume. This deserves a 3.5. Normally I round up. But I’m so aghast with gross sexual assault that I’m rounding down. 3/5.
However, if someone doesn’t have an affinity for the classics referenced in this omnibus, I can fully see how this lands with a resounding dud. This series is a love letter to the classics that laid the foundation for today’s science fiction and horror. Unless you are one of the parties either receiving or writing a love letter, reading it without that relationship context can be interesting, but it will never have the intended response.
This omnibus contains the first and second volumes of LEG, as well as some extras that were included in the original comic books, Allen and the Sundered Veil and the New Traveller’s Almanac. Each will have a mini-review in turn before my final thoughts.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume I
Obviously, I was sold on the entire concept before I started reading. However, there are some character issues that stand out. First is Allen Quartermaine. He has a severe opium addiction and kicks it within two issues. There is an almost relapse, but the laudanum he purchases is a plot point in ingratiating another member of the League. The later issues really put the plot ahead of character development, so if that’s what you are here for, you will be disappointed.
The biggest question mark of a character is the Invisible Man. He is wretched. An absolute bastard of a man. He’s a rapist. His actions can be framed in any way the writer wants, but in the end, he’s still a bad dude, and I wish any other way was chosen to bring him into the story. He seeks no repentance; he does not become better. He is vain and arrogant and terrible. He could have been all of those, without being a rapist on top of it. If you really squint, you can find the slimmest pseudo-commentary that a government in peril will turn to even the worst if they can help save the nation… but you really really have to squint to see it.
The remaining characters are all fine. Captain Nemo is a personal favorite, and his backstory may come as shock if you are only familiar with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea but falls in line with what we learn about the character from the sequel, The Mysterious Island. Jekyll and Hyde is the Hulk, and that too is fine. Mina Harker, or by her maiden name, Mina Murry, is the character in charge of rounding up these deplorables for a mysterious benefactor. She’s a strong woman but falls into the tired trope of having to dress like a prostitute to lure out a villain. Other than that incident she has good chemistry with the other characters. In fact, the dialog between all the characters is well done.
The plot is relatively bare-bones. Assemble team, complete mission, reversal of fortune, work together to beat the heretofore unrevealed villain. The plot is straightforward, the character development is minimal, but the interactions between characters are very enjoyable.
Looking at the art of the volume, the first two issues felt very muddy to me. Very dim and not very detailed. I’m not sure why, I read the entire first volume in the same lighting. The rest of the volume was vibrant and well done. There are some fun action scenes and some gruesome moments that pop off the page. The depiction of women has been criticized, but the style is consistent across the board (Rosa Coote being the minor exception with her exaggerated assets, but it is an understandable allusion to the origins of her namesake), and as long as it is consistent I generally give it a pass, as long as it is not offensive.
Overall, I really enjoyed the first LEG. The impetus of the Invisible Man joining the team bugs me, as it should bug everybody and I would understand if you stopped there. Similarly, if you have no connection to any of the main characters, I can understand how this is a thin story. But I am unabashed in my love for the characters (Invisible Man from the original story, not this interpretation) and was able to look past the thinness of the plot. This individually is a 4/5.
Allen and the Sundered Veil
In the original run of comics, the end of each chapter of the first volume had two or three pages detailing a serial adventure of Allen Quartermain. This is a welcome addition to the omnibus and serves as a great pallet cleanser between Volume I and Volume II.
Due to his love of drugs, Quartermain finds himself in a situation where he takes a super special mind-bending deep sleep-inducing drug, and he finds his consciousness lost in time and space. On this dream-quest, he encounters John Carter (who would later be of Mars), a character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Randolph Carter, the wayward dream created by HP Lovecraft who frequently appeared in his Dream Cycle, and the Time Traveler, the unnamed protagonist of HG Well’s The Time Machine.
This team is the stuff of my dreams. While I’m not familiar with Burrough’s fiction, the inclusion of Randolph Carter (strange retconning of his relationship to John Carter aside) had me incredibly hyped, and I was instantly hooked.
As I mentioned before, this is written in the style of a serial, and it is as pulpy as possible. Again, little character development and the story hinges on your love of the already established characters, but I loved it. The plot is straightforward and fantastical, and the first issue is a bit too heavy on the establishing details, but otherwise, this is a pleasure to read as an interstitial. 5/5
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume II
LEG Volume II kicks off pretty much right after Volume I. Actually, there are a few references to Mars in the first Volume that set up the events of Volume II, as well as some foreshadowing from Allen and the Sundered Veil. It’s a great setup, adding the War of the Worlds to the universe as the primary driving force of this Volume.
I was left feeling a bit cold at the introduction of John Carter (the same John Carter who appeared in Allen and the Sundered Veil) and was hoping he would somehow contribute to the League. He didn’t. While it was a fun addition, the majority of the other figures in the first Volume actually did something to affect the plot (the sole exception that comes to mind being Ishmael).
Thinking back over this second Volume, it leaves me disappointed. The majority of the first issue occurs on Mars and then doesn’t return. While it serves as a prologue, it’s also 1/6th of the total volume, and at least half of that first issue could have been spent with the League adding some character development. The ending events come so quickly that an entire invasion (that only affects England?) is over with a few special rounds or artillery and a causal hand-waved explanation (that literally has a character waving his hand). The best addition to this truncated narrative is Dr. Moreau, who is incredibly creepy, and his contribution to the plot makes total sense.
As far as the characters go, Allen and Mina have an arc that comes out of nowhere. Sure it was mentioned as a possibility in the first Volume, but it just doesn’t feel organic. And the resolution is just as fast, and just as worthy of a head scratch. Captain Nemo begrudgingly continues to work with the British government he so hates, until they go too far and he leaves. The Invisible Man continues to be an unrepentant monster, and his actions in the first volume are neither mentioned nor acknowledged.
And Hyde. We won’t even talk about Jekyll. He was in the Volume for about five panels it seems and then Hyde was running the show. Hyde had some of the laziest writing surrounding him. He’s a monster, yeah. We get it. That’s covered in depth. He wants to fight Martians. We get it. The narrative goes into some King Kong “‘‘twas beauty killed the beast” theme with the almost friendship between him and Mina. Then we get the rape of the Invisible Man. We’ve entered the territory of punishing a rapist with rape and it’s so lazy and appealing in execution. I realize this is a spoiler, but consider it a content warning as well. Hyde rapes the Invisible Man (the murder, totally justified, and the reveal, while not making a lot of sense, was still really cool). But twice now in two Volumes rape serves as the fulcrum for the plot to advance and its unnecessary and poorly done.
The art is consistently good throughout. While at first, it seemed out of place, the art surrounding the scenes with Dr. Moreau is disconcerting and done extremely well. The scenes on Mars are fun and really capture an alien vibe. As for the characters, there was some inconsistency with Nemo’s physique that caught my attention. Mina, who had always been very thin, is now closer to normal proportions. Besides some questionable story choices that the art had to show, the art by itself is well done throughout the Volume.
Fundamentally, this seems rushed due to an entire issue being on Mars. The second rape in two overall volumes shows a lack of creativity and is just tone-deaf in execution, which is disappointing because the setting and theme are so good on paper. This would have been elevated with common sense to keep turning back to rape as a plot device, and with probably two more issues to really dive into some of the topics presented. 3/5
The New Traveller’s Almanac
In the same manner that Allen and the Sundered Veil progressed with each issue of the first volume, and Almanac is presented with each issue of the second Volume to really flesh out the world and history of the LEG. It’s fun all around but hardly necessary. I wish I had more to say, I applaud its inclusion, but it came at a point in the universe that I was really debating on if I wanted to invest more of my time in it. This portion is a 4/5.
Overall Thoughts
First and foremost, this Omnibus suffered from poor production. The margins were absolutely terrible. There was a significant amount of white space around all the pages, except going into the spin. If any important art or dialog was toward the spin of the book it was nearly impossible to read unless you wanted to destroy the spin and had perfect lighting. I have dozens of trade paperbacks that do not have this issue. Margins are a known variable. It’s inexcusable to not account for this.
Secondly, the concept is so great. The mere idea to throw all these figures and storylines together is so good. Alan Moore is not the man to execute, however. Rape and sexual assault should be explored in all mediums, but it should be done so with care. Alan Moore resoundingly failed in this and it is so glaring it overshadows much of the greatness of this concept.
I love the pulp. I love overall stories. I love the extra featurettes in the Almanac and Allen and the Sundered Veil, but all of that good does not negate the lazy sexual assault and the rushed narrative of the second Volume. This deserves a 3.5. Normally I round up. But I’m so aghast with gross sexual assault that I’m rounding down. 3/5.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was objectively good, but a bit much at times. Unessessarily sexual and violent at times. However, a good story and well worth any adult nerd's time.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
This book has lots of really interesting ideas that feel like they never quite get going, and lots of interesting characters who feel like they never develop. Moore is also mightily obsessed with violent sexual assault, which I could quite honestly do without.
I didn't much like the art style, although I did think the use of shade to convey light and dark was very clever.
Overall I enjoyed this.
I didn't much like the art style, although I did think the use of shade to convey light and dark was very clever.
Overall I enjoyed this.
The movie wasn't bad on its own merits. The gruff voice of Edward Hyde certainly carries over to the pages. Even better, the source material was collected for a re-issue to be re-discovered & re-read ad infinitum.
While the crossing of the League universe with H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds is unquestionably more satisfying than a sequel to the death of Sherlock Holmes, both cycles carry the same bleakly realistic theme: the expert agents in the field fall victim to political intrigue. Sometimes I wonder what other motivation lay behind the composition of the League: Mina nor Quartermain contribute in the way of superpowers.
Nevertheless, they deserve the leisurely reading pace of literature. Every panel is an artwork with little stories of Victorian decay in the background. The sheer volume of dialogue could fill a Boys' Own story such as connects volume I & II. The eye needs two tours to take it all in.
While the crossing of the League universe with H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds is unquestionably more satisfying than a sequel to the death of Sherlock Holmes, both cycles carry the same bleakly realistic theme: the expert agents in the field fall victim to political intrigue. Sometimes I wonder what other motivation lay behind the composition of the League: Mina nor Quartermain contribute in the way of superpowers.
Nevertheless, they deserve the leisurely reading pace of literature. Every panel is an artwork with little stories of Victorian decay in the background. The sheer volume of dialogue could fill a Boys' Own story such as connects volume I & II. The eye needs two tours to take it all in.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's very clearly an adult comic, although volume 2 is more explicit then volume 1. Also, the decorations in the school were strange - why were there so many erotic naked statues? I do like the steampunk 1800s England art, the bold lines and dramatic colours.
I enjoyed the satire in between the chapters - the author clearly knows the premise is ridiculous and makes fun of its own characters.
Issue #2 is so much weirder than Issue #1 - It's like Moore stopped giving all fucks now that he knows it's going to sell and really leaned into the tropes.
I enjoyed the satire in between the chapters - the author clearly knows the premise is ridiculous and makes fun of its own characters.
Issue #2 is so much weirder than Issue #1 - It's like Moore stopped giving all fucks now that he knows it's going to sell and really leaned into the tropes.
Volume 1: 4 stars
Volume 2: 3 stars
I have reviewed them both separately. :)
Volume 2: 3 stars
I have reviewed them both separately. :)